Aleksandr Andreev, co-chair of the Joint Control Commission, is one of the three Russian diplomats declared personae non gratae and ordered to leave Moldova, IPN reports.

Andreev was accredited in Moldova on February 17, 2022 - just one week before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Although his social media profiles state that he graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, a photo published by his mother shows him wearing the uniform of the Communications Forces under the General Staff of the Russian Army, according to an investigation by Europa Libera.

Andreev was confirmed as Russia’s co-chair of the Joint Control Commission in February 2022.

In May 2023, he publicly defended a Russian commander in the Security Zone who had been sanctioned by Moldovan police for wearing the St. George ribbon, a symbol banned by law in Moldova.

After Chisinau decided in July 2023 to reduce the Russian diplomatic staff, Andreev warned that this could pose risks to maintaining peace.

Today's decision to expel the three Russian diplomats comes in the context of the escape of Moldovan MP Alexandr Nesterovschi, one day before his sentencing to 12 years in prison. Moldova’s Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) director, Alexandru Musteata, stated that Russia helped Nesterovschi evade prison by transporting him to the Transnistrian region in a diplomatic vehicle.

Along with Aleksandr Andreev, the name of attaché Andrei Voșchinchin, accredited in August 2023, was also mentioned among those expelled. The name of the third diplomat has not yet been disclosed.

Following the expulsions, the Russian Embassy in Chisinau will operate with six diplomats and 15 technical staff members.

Russian Ambassador to Chisinau, Oleg Ozerov, called the expulsions "a serious blow" to bilateral relations and the Transnistrian settlement process, describing the decision as "counterproductive".